Not Enough Rainfall

We're Running Low On Drinking Water. Go Easy On Your Usage, South Florida Officials Warn, Or You Might Be Forced To Cut Back Later.

November 3, 2006|By Patty Pensa Staff Writer

Shorten your showers, shut off the sprinklers early and stop leaving the water on while brushing your teeth.

Consider doing it now, or you might be forced to do it later.

With this year's rain totals nearing a record low, water managers are urging people to check their wasteful habits, lest they face water restrictions and possibly fines later. Forecasters predict a wetter-than-normal winter, but rainfall is hard to predict. So the South Florida Water Management District, which is in charge of flood control, water supply and water quality, is taking a conservative approach by asking people to voluntarily cut back on their water usage.

"We don't want to paint the picture that we're running out of water and the pipes are going to be shut down," said district spokesman Jesus Rodriguez. "But water levels across the state are troublingly low and a prudent course of action would be more aggressive water conservation."

Rain totals so far this year are 13.3 inches below normal in Broward County and 12.5 inches below in Palm Beach County, according to the National Weather Service in Miami. Thursday's request, coincidentally, came on a date that Palm Beach County had a record daily high 1.83 inches rainfall. Broward collected only 0.6 inch.

A dry summer but wet winter -- the opposite of the norm -- might seem to balance out the rainfall deficit. But it doesn't always work that way, meteorologist Robert Molleda said.

"If it did, we wouldn't have to worry about drought," he said. "It's a good idea to watch our water consumption just to make sure we don't run into problems later on."

Even so, there's a strong possibility water managers at meetings next week will issue mandatory restrictions for people whose water comes from Lake Okeechobee, Rodriguez said. Included would be the Glades communities and Martin and St. Lucie counties.

The rest of Palm Beach County and Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties likely won't face restrictions, even though the Biscayne Aquifer also is low.

The heaviest users are in the agriculture industry, including farmers like Billy McKinstry of WM Farms in Belle Glade. Luckily for McKinstry, his corn crop is nearing maturity and doesn't require excessive watering now. But during October, he had to drench about 10 acres of corn using irrigation because of the dry spell. The water would run about nine hours straight.

"I'm hoping that these [cold] fronts that come through bring a little rain," he said. Otherwise, it would be tough to cut back. "It depends on how much. I can cut back some, but if it comes to the point where I'm going to lose my crops and go broke, I can't do it," he said.

Roxie Pelliccia, owner of Wonder Gardens Inc. in Plantation, has a similar perspective. Her nursery outside the Broward Mall has mostly drought-resistant plants -- which she encourages her customers to buy -- but they can't be left to wither.

"I have to keep them looking good," she said. "I'm not going to let my plants die."

Average rainfall during the dry season, which runs November to April, is about 19 inches. Forecasters are predicting more because of El NiM-qo, a warming condition in the Pacific Ocean. It might not be enough to stop water managers from issuing a water shortage order, especially after such a dry summer.

October in Fort Lauderdale was the driest on record with 0.87 inches of rain. Typically, 6.44 inches of rain falls in October. West Palm Beach had 1.95 inches, but average rainfall is about 5.5 inches there. Readings are taken at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Palm Beach International Airport.

Residents in Palm Beach County who get water from the county's utilities department have another incentive to save: Using more water costs more. Using more than 10,000 gallons a month is considered high, said County Administrator Bob Weisman.

"The real issue seems to be ... it hasn't rained around [Lake Okeechobee]," he said. "The district is just being careful and alerting people."

In Broward County, Commissioner Kristen Jacobs is championing the 3-year-old NatureScape Broward, a volunteer program that helps residents save water and money. Jacobs said it would take a cultural shift to get people to end their "water-hogging ways."

"The district is saying the same thing we're saying," she said. "But at the end of all these voluntary things, the hammer is coming. You don't need to be watering every single day of the week. People water way too much."

Patty Pensa can be reached at ppensa@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6609.

WATER-SAVING TIPS

Sprinklers should be used a half-hour per irrigation zone. Water between 5 and 9 a.m. Beyond that, water will be wasted because of evaporation and wind.